We’ll take a look at the different kinds of video—Stories, video posts, Instagram live, and IGTV. We’ve got best practices for each and examples to inspire you. And when you’re ready to leave the nest, we have some recommendations for our favourite video editing apps.

Types of Instagram video

Not all Instagram video is born equal. Depending on your needs—and your budget, frankly—your brand might be compelled to walk before you run, and focus on one type over another. Stories, feed posts, IGTV and live video all have different looks, feels and uses.

Let’s take a look at the advantages of each.

Instagram Stories

If you’re looking for an entry point to posting video on Instagram, starting with Stories is a great call.

This format is short (15 seconds or less, though Instagram will split longer videos into sequential clips automatically) and as far as aesthetics go, audiences aren’t miffed by DIY, born-mobile quality. Instagram Stories tend to be friendly, casual and low-pressure.

Also, they disappear after 24 hours (unless you pin them as a highlight on your profile with a nice cover), which makes them appealing if you’re experimenting with your audience’s favourite content.

That said, if you’re using them right, Stories may well act as a person’s first or second look at your brand’s Instagram presence. So, maintaining a consistent tone and style is important. You want your Stories to be subtly, or not-so-subtly, branded in a way that your followers will instantly recognize them as yours.

Instagram feed video

Next up is feed video—a.k.a. a regular video post on Instagram. These can be anywhere between 3 and 60 seconds long, making them the second-shortest type of Instagram video.

And while it’s definitely possible to hit record and start shooting from your phone, audiences might expect a little more polish from Instagram video posts these days. After all, posts live on your profile grid in perpetuity, and they’re one of your best tickets to getting love from the Instagram algorithm. (And just imagine what happens if your video makes it to the Instagram Explore tab.)

As you add potential video posts to your content calendar, consider your audience’s needs. What kind of snackable, on-brand videos will get them to stop thumbing the eternal scroll and pay attention?

Here are some go-to ideas for Instagram video posts:

Quick how-tos and tutorials (more in-depth than a Story how-to, but less detailed than an IGTV seminar)

Behind-the-scenes looks around your brand’s natural habitat

Stop-motion or time-lapse videos

Seasonal topics (this can range from fluffy but relatable content like the beginning of spring, to the more explicitly salesy Black Friday)

For instance, Tesla’s social media team made a Halloween video that is topical, creepy, and also happens to showcase a cool product feature.

But livestreaming can be a little intimidating at first. You’re talking on your feet, fielding questions, watching your viewer count, trying to earn those hearts and comments. It can take some getting used to.

And in the meantime, here are some ideas to help you get started with Instagram live video:

Host a Q&A with an expert, celebrity, influencer, or other relevant voice

Livestream a one-off event for people who can’t attend: like an industry conference, a talk, or a performance

Launch your new product or service, and make sure that people who tune in to the live stream get an exclusive discount (or special info, etc.)

Of course, the video doesn’t have to be ephemeral: you can post your live video to your Stories so it’ll live on for 24 hours, and then even post that Story to your highlights so it can live on indefinitely.

IGTV (Instagram TV)

Instagram’s long-form video format—previously vertical-only, but now horizontal too—may well require the biggest investment of time and effort of any kind of Instagram video.

But it also offers the depth and connection that only long-form video can: a Google ad experiment, for instance, found that longer videos are better able to create the emotional connections necessary to get people to change how they think.

But the pressure is on. With a lot more room to explore your topic—up to 15 minutes or 60, depending (see our Instagram video specs below)—IGTV audiences might also expect a more polished video than they would for a Story or live video.

And now that Instagram allows you to post the first 60 seconds of your IGTV video to your feed, you really want to make sure that minute is compelling enough that your audience wants to keep watching.

Wondering what kind of videos you should post to IGTV? Think about things like:

A documentary that explores your brand’s story in detail

In-depth tutorials or how-tos (with IGTV you have the room to bake a six-tiered wedding cake, so save the cookies for Stories)

Instagram video best practices

As you continue to brainstorm your video masterpiece, keep these in mind.

Tell unique stories

Video has very compelling numbers to back it up, but before you go ahead and put a bird on it pivot to video, consider the medium. Is this story really best told as a video, and not an ebook or a photo carousel? (Or a Tiktok video, or a YouTube video, for that matter?)

You should have good answers for all three questions: why video, why Instagram, and why are you telling this story now?

On Instagram in particular, brands face tough competition. Your video needs to stand out to viewers and the algorithm both. Will people comment on it? Will they send it to their friends on Instagram Threads?

A world-class example of unique storytelling is Nike’s Birthplace of Dreams series. These mini-documentaries bring some of the world’s biggest athletes back to their childhood neighbourhoods to recall the dreams that got them to today. They’re gritty, poignant and inspiring: very Nike, very wow.

Spin out a series

You’ve gone to the trouble of thinking up a great idea, so why not explore it thoroughly? Recurring series lend a sense of continuity to your brand’s Instagram presence. Plus, some series are ideal candidates for batch-filming. Angle your two ferns in the sunlight and interview three different experts, and you have three times as much content to roll out.

Intrigued? Take a look at your analytics: if one of your videos did super well with your audience, there might be demand for more.

Pro tip: advance promotion is especially important for live video. You want your audience to know that it’s happening, and when to tune in, but also why they should watch it. Give them all the information they need.

Cross-promote your videos when they’re up

With so many different video formats on Instagram alone, don’t be surprised to find yourself promoting your feed videos in your Stories, and your IGTV in your feed and your Stories, and your Live videos, um, all over.

Especially with live video, make sure to post it to your Stories so people can catch what they missed. If it’s a really big deal for your brand, highlight that Story to your profile. (Yes, we’ve got instructions: check out #47 on our list of Instagram hacks.)

A/B test different kinds of videos

Experiment to find out what kind of video your audience actually wants. Documentaries, before-and-afters, interviews—you could even post a poll in a Story and get people to vote for their favourite idea.

Hyperlapse

This minimalist, professional app is an offering from Instagram itself. The promise here is that the app’s stabilization feature is so good that anyone can “capture an entire sunrise in 10 seconds—even from the back of a moving motorcycle.” You can also choose the speed of the timelapse: the app goes up to 12x faster.

VSCO

Cost: Free, but some filters require in-app purchase; there are also monthly or annual memberships.

Clipomatic

We listed Clipomatic in our list of Instagram apps for business, too, because it’s so easy it’s worth repeating. Subtitling is important for video on Instagram, and while for big projects you might want to go ahead and invest in a subtitling service, if we’re just talking an off the-cuff Story video, Clipomatic is quicker and cheaper.

Magisto

Use it for: Video editing for beginners, with a catalogue of stock content

Magisto is Vimeo’s editing app, and while it’s not the cheapest app out there, we’re including it because it’s ridiculously easy. There’s no real editing involved: the app essentially compiles your clips, images and soundtrack into a video that is something like a slideshow.

It also gives you access to royalty-free music and stock video. And if you don’t quite trust your own cinematography skills—or have access to as many cute animals as you’d like—it can be quite handy.

Adobe Premiere Rush for Video

Adobe is the top name in visual software, and it’s no surprise that Adobe Premiere Rush is best in class for mobile video editing. This app was built with social media managers in mind, and we appreciate the control it gives us.

Bonus: Also check out Adobe Spark, which is geared more towards animating still photos: ideal for Stories and feed posts.

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